Various manufacturing operations engage in winding web material around a central core. Such winding is employed to manufacture a host of products that are made for use in modern society, including tape, plastics, cording, nonwoven materials and the like.
Natural and synthetic textiles, nonwoven materials, and coform materials may be manufactured in a first process to produce bulk materials, and then stored for later use in a second process. For example, such material may be wound upon spools or cores for temporary storage in relatively large quantities until the bulk material is needed to manufacture products. For example, many consumer and disposable absorbent products are manufactured in a first process, and then spooled on large spools while they await a subsequent manufacturing process. In manufacturing, the spools may be removed from storage and then transported to a location where they are needed, and then placed into a manufacturing line for use. Such web materials may be fed from the spool into the manufacturing operation.
One problem encountered when unwinding elongated web material from spools or rolls is undesirable twisting of the web as it uncoils when the roll is kept in a stationary position. Various methods have been attempted to avoid twisting, which can lead to problems in manufacturing. Twisting may occur when a core or spool is placed upright on a level surface, with the core oriented vertically, and such materials are pulled or fed from the core in a direction that is not in alignment with the core or spool. Some manufacturing operations in the past have relied upon driven unwind systems to assist in such operations. However, such systems consume energy and require maintenance.
Some processes have employed continuous strips of material in a technique known as xe2x80x9cfestooningxe2x80x9d in which the strip is folded back and forth to lay a series of strip portions, with each portion being folded relative to the next about a line transverse to the strip. The technique of festooning has been used for some time and is employed in the manufacture of packaging materials including nonwovens, fabrics, and the like. The strip may be guided into a cardboard box, or may be rolled into a cylindrical pad, as examples. International Patent Application Publications WO 99/59907 and WO 99/16693 illustrate such methods.
What is needed in the industry is a method of winding large volumes of material in a manner that makes the material available for unwinding at a later time in a convenient and ready format. A method of winding such materials in a manner that will avoid or minimize twisting of the material is desirable. Furthermore, a method or assembly that provides an opportunity to make and deploy multiple spools or rolls in succession without stopping to reload rolls would be helpful. Furthermore, a system that enables utilization of rolls without using a conventional driven unwind system would be quite useful.
The invention may include a method of winding a material around a central core, using an apparatus that is capable of oscillation. An apparatus is provided for winding a web around a central axis to form a roll. The apparatus may include a rotating mandrel oriented along the central axis, and a feeding mechanism including at least one roller for holding in a feed position a running web to be wound upon the rotating mandrel.
Furthermore, a retainer assembly may be mounted around the central axis of the mandrel. The retainer assembly may be provided to accommodate oscillating movement of the rotating mandrel and roll, between a clockwise and counter clockwise direction. The retainer assembly may provide support to the outer portion of the roll during winding of the web upon the rotating mandrel in forming the roll. The retainer assembly may have at least one circumferential support stay for engagement of the web on the outer surface of the roll as the roll is built.
In some applications of the invention, a retaining means may be used to support the outer portion of the roll during winding of the web upon the rotating mandrel. A feeding means sometimes may be employed to hold in a feed position a running web to be wound upon the rotating mandrel.
The invention may provide a method for winding a web to form a roll. The method may include steps such as providing a mandrel along an axis, and then feeding a web through a feed assembly for winding the web upon a rotating mandrel. Furthermore, a retainer assembly may be provided in operable connection to the rotating mandrel. The retainer assembly (or retainer means) may serve to preserve the web in position during rotation of the mandrel and roll.